This Sea Bass recipe by Matt Tebbutt combines beautifully balanced Mediterranean flavours, with crisp, golden skinned sea bass served alongside a rich raisin and moscatel vinegar sauce.
By Matt Tebbutt
Saturday Kitchen
Serves: 2
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
For the sea bass
• 60ml olive oil
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 125ml moscatel vinegar
• 50g raisins, soaked in warm water
• 2 × 200g sea bass fillets, pin boned and skin scored
• 50g toasted pine nuts
• Handful fresh flat leaf parsley, leaves only
For the salad
• 3 oranges, peeled and segmented, with the peel of 1 orange reserved
• 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Handful fresh flat leaf parsley
• Small bunch fresh mint
• Pinch dried oregano, preferably Sicilian
• 1 tbsp pink peppercorns
• 3 tbsp baby capers
• 8 large caper berries on stalks
• 4 whole salted anchovies, roughly chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook gently for 10 minutes, without colouring. Add the sugar, vinegar, raisins and 50ml water.
Heat the remaining olive oil in a clean frying pan over a medium high heat. Place the sea bass skin side down and fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the parsley and pine nuts to the onion mixture. Place the sea bass skin side up in the sauce and cook over a medium heat for a further 2 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.
Meanwhile, blanch the peel of 1 orange in boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove and allow to cool, then cut into fine julienne strips.
Place the orange peel in a large bowl with the orange segments, fennel, olive oil, parsley, mint, oregano, pink peppercorns, baby capers, caper berries and anchovies. Toss well and season with salt and black pepper.
Serve the sea bass with plenty of the raisin and moscatel sauce, alongside the orange and fennel salad.